System of pressing laundered articles



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Aronueys Patented Aug. 13, 1946 SYSTEMOF PRESSING LAUNDERED ARTICLES Wallace F. Gayring, Minoa, N. Y., assignor to The Prosperity Company, Inc., Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of New York lApplication May 26, 1943, Serial No. 488,599 4 claims. (c1. se-s) The invention relates. to laundry machinery,

'and has for its object an ironing or pressing apparatus in which the heat and moisture or vapor `generated by the ironing of the garments during 'the pressing operation is carried to the garments preliminary to beingironed, and by which the heat is confined to the pressing machine or apbeing performed.

The invention further hasvfor its object an apparatus including machines located relative to 'each other and conveyers, so that the operator,

when standing between the machines, can load and unload the machines, reach new Work on one conveyer and place finished work on another conveyer. The machines attended by one or each operator are capable of performing all the ironing operations on a particular article, as for example, a shirt which requires four or ve operations.

Other objects appear throughout the specification.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a laundry apparatus embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a plan View of a system embodying this invention.

The apparatus comprises one or more machines, as I, on which the ironing operations are performed, a conveyer as 2 leading to the machine to carry the articles to be ironed thereto, each of the machines being enclosed in a heat insulating cabinet 3, a hood 4 housing or coveringa portion of the conveyer and conduits 4a connecting each of the cabinets 3 a-nd one of the hoods 4 to conduct the heated air and moisture or vapor extracted from the garments during the pressing operation to the hoods 4 to properly condition and uniformly dampen the articles to be ironed thereon. The hood terminates at the machines, so that the conveyer is exposed, and hence the work can be picked 01T the conveyer by the operator of the machines. The conveyer 2 leads from a shakeout table 5 located to receive the garments from a hydro-extractor 6. The hydroextractor in turn receives the garments from a washer 1. The water is extracted in the extractor and the clothes shook out on the table 5 and then spread on the conveyer 2 in such a manner that the press operator can easily select a portion of the shirt she wishes to iron first. While passing through the hoods or dryers on the conveyer, they are conditioned or dampened to a predetermined amount by the heated and moist air taken from the cabinets 3 of the machines I. The garments pass through open spaces on the conveyer between the hoods 4 where they may be picked up at the first space or pass into the second hood to a second set of machines and may be picked up at the next space. The purpose of the hoods is to confine the heat and moist air to evenly distribute the same throughout the machine and the garment. Due to extractor wrinkles in the clothes, the moisture is not evenly distributed or the 4garment not evenly dried in the extractor. Conditioned garments iron more satisfactorily and handle better. The garments may also bedeposited at any one station;

In the system shown in Figure 2, there arethree pairs of ironing machines, the machines of each pair being equipped with ironing bucks adapted to finish or press a shirt. One operator attends each pair and stands in the space between the machines of each pair. This space is alined with the space of the conveyer between the hoods 4. The system is particularly adapted for ironing shirts. The complete system also includes a conveyer 8 extending along the machines, for receiving the pressed articles, this conveyer carrying the ironed articles to folding tables or machines ,9, where they are folded and wrapped and delivered to a third conveyer I D, which carries them to a final assemblyr table.

Each machine I includes a buck B adapted to receive an article to be ironed which cooperates with a buck B2 in the cabinet l, one or both of these bucks B, B2 being heated, as by steam, in .any well known manner. Preferably only the upper buck within the cabinet is heated. As the operator steps to serve the second machine, the buck B recedes into the cabinet 3 where the ironing operation takes place, and then returns to the outside of the cabinet or lay position. Each portion of the garment is ironed until the article is completely finished.

The two machines I for each station are adapted to completely press a shirt. A shirt for proper ironing requires ve operations as follows:

To Press z the front b-the back c-the sleeves d-the cuffs and collar e-the yoke.

These may be performed in any order.

In operation, the operator stands at S between the machines of a pair, and when in this position, can easily pick up the work from the conveyer between the hoods 4, place it on one of the machines I, remove work from any one machine, and replace it on another machine, or if the Work is completely ironed, place it on the overhead rack or conveyer 8, so that it'Will be conveyed to the folding machines 9, all While doing nothing more than a turn-around movement at the station S.

Obviously, any article on the conveyer not picked oi by the operator of the first set of.

machines passes into the next hood 4, and if not picked up by the operator of' the second set of machines, passes through the third hood 4 to the operator of the third set of machines, etc. By reason of these cabinet machines and the hooded conveyers, machines may be installed in an air-conditioned laundry, when the heat from the machines does not affect the temperature and moisture condition of the air in the laundry, and also'an operator of a pair of machines can stand practicallyV in one spot or does not do any appreciable walking from one machine to another, or from amachine to a conveyor. laundry operations, an operator attending a number of machines, Walked from one to another Such an arrangement takes up considerable licor space, and is fatiguing. By this system, fatigue to' the operator is greatly reduced and the work l can be performed economically in an airconditioned-room.

What I claim is:

l. The combination with` a `pressing machine and a conveyer for' articles to be pressed on the A machine, the pressing machine including heated pressingV elements and a heat insulated cabinet enclosing the machine for confining the heat Within the cabinet at least during the pressing operation, the conveyer having a hood enclosing a portion of the same, and means' for Withdrawin-g the heated air from' the cabinet and discharging the same into the hood onthe articles carried bythe conveyer.

Heretofore, in f 2. A laundry system including pressing machines, each having heated pressing elements, and a heat insulated cabinet enclosing the same, for confining the heat therein during the pressing operation and during loading and unloading of the machine, a conveyer for conducting articles to be pressed to thev machines, and means for conducting the heated air from the cabinets of the machines to the conveyer to treat the articles on the conveyer being carried to the machines.

3. Av laundry system including a conveyer located to receive clothes from a hydro-extractor, a series of pressing machines arranged along the conveyer, each including pressing elements, at least one of which is heated, and one being shiftable into and out of a cabinet, a heat insulated cabinet enclosing each machine to confine the heat therein during the pressing operation and during the movement of the movable element into and out of the cabinet, hoods over portions of the conveyer and conduits for conducting the air from the heat insulated cabinets to said. hoods.

4. A laundry system including a conveyer located to receive clothes from a hydro-extractor, a series of pressing machines arranged along the conveyer, eachl including pressing elements having an opening and closing movement, at least one of which elements being heated, a heat insulated cabinet enclosing each machine to confine the heat therein, hoods over portions of the conveyer, and conduits for conducting the air from the heat insulated cabinets to said hoods, the hoods being spaced apart along the conveyer and located so that the spaces betweenv thehoods expose the conveyer and the work thereon to the operator. Y

WALLACE F. GAYRING. 

